TY - JOUR
T1 - Prevalence and clinical associations of wheezes and crackles in the general population
T2 - the Tromso study
AU - Aviles-Solis, J. C.
AU - Jacome, C.
AU - Davidsen, A.
AU - Einarsen, R.
AU - Vanbelle, S.
AU - Pasterkamp, H.
AU - Melbye, H.
N1 - Funding Information:
We would like to thank Katrine Wang, Gøril Henriksen and Lars Tunby for their help with data collection. We would also like to thank all participants in the Tromsø 7th study, as well as the staff, to make this research possible. The publication charges for this article have been funded by a grant from the publication fund of UiT The Arctic University of Norway.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2019 The Author(s).
PY - 2019/9/11
Y1 - 2019/9/11
N2 - Background Wheezes and crackles are well-known signs of lung diseases, but can also be heard in apparently healthy adults. However, their prevalence in a general population has been sparsely described. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of wheezes and crackles in a large general adult population and explore associations with self-reported disease, smoking status and lung function. Methods We recorded lung sounds in 4033 individuals 40 years or older and collected information on self-reported disease. Pulse oximetry and spirometry were carried out. We estimated age-standardized prevalence of wheezes and crackles and associations between wheezes and crackles and variables of interest were analyzed with univariable and multivariable logistic regressions. Results Twenty-eight percent of individuals had wheezes or crackles. The age-standardized prevalence of wheezes was 18.6% in women and 15.3% in men, and of crackles, 10.8 and 9.4%, respectively. Wheezes were mostly found during expiration and crackles during inspiration. Significant predictors of expiratory wheezes in multivariable analyses were age (10 years increase - OR 1.18, 95%CI 1.09-1.30), female gender (1.45, 1.2-1.8), self-reported asthma (1.36, 1.00-1.83), and current smoking (1.70, 1.28-2.23). The most important predictors of inspiratory crackles were age (1.76, 1.57-1.99), current smoking, (1.94, 1.40-2.69), mMRC >= 2 (1.79, 1.18-2.65), SpO(2) (0.88, 0.81-0.96), and FEV1 Z-score (0.86, 0.77-0.95). Conclusions Nearly over a quarter of adults present adventitious lung sounds on auscultation. Age was the most important predictor of adventitious sounds, particularly crackles. The adventitious sounds were also associated with self-reported disease, current smoking and measures of lung function. The presence of findings in two or more auscultation sites was associated with a higher risk of decreased lung function than solitary findings.
AB - Background Wheezes and crackles are well-known signs of lung diseases, but can also be heard in apparently healthy adults. However, their prevalence in a general population has been sparsely described. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of wheezes and crackles in a large general adult population and explore associations with self-reported disease, smoking status and lung function. Methods We recorded lung sounds in 4033 individuals 40 years or older and collected information on self-reported disease. Pulse oximetry and spirometry were carried out. We estimated age-standardized prevalence of wheezes and crackles and associations between wheezes and crackles and variables of interest were analyzed with univariable and multivariable logistic regressions. Results Twenty-eight percent of individuals had wheezes or crackles. The age-standardized prevalence of wheezes was 18.6% in women and 15.3% in men, and of crackles, 10.8 and 9.4%, respectively. Wheezes were mostly found during expiration and crackles during inspiration. Significant predictors of expiratory wheezes in multivariable analyses were age (10 years increase - OR 1.18, 95%CI 1.09-1.30), female gender (1.45, 1.2-1.8), self-reported asthma (1.36, 1.00-1.83), and current smoking (1.70, 1.28-2.23). The most important predictors of inspiratory crackles were age (1.76, 1.57-1.99), current smoking, (1.94, 1.40-2.69), mMRC >= 2 (1.79, 1.18-2.65), SpO(2) (0.88, 0.81-0.96), and FEV1 Z-score (0.86, 0.77-0.95). Conclusions Nearly over a quarter of adults present adventitious lung sounds on auscultation. Age was the most important predictor of adventitious sounds, particularly crackles. The adventitious sounds were also associated with self-reported disease, current smoking and measures of lung function. The presence of findings in two or more auscultation sites was associated with a higher risk of decreased lung function than solitary findings.
KW - Wheezes
KW - Crackles
KW - Auscultation
KW - Population
KW - HEART-FAILURE
KW - DIAGNOSING PNEUMONIA
KW - RESPIRATORY SOUNDS
KW - ACUTE COUGH
KW - BREATH
KW - AIRWAY
KW - RALES
KW - SEX
U2 - 10.1186/s12890-019-0928-1
DO - 10.1186/s12890-019-0928-1
M3 - Article
C2 - 31511003
SN - 1471-2466
VL - 19
JO - BMC Pulmonary Medicine
JF - BMC Pulmonary Medicine
IS - 1
M1 - 173
ER -